The Dreamer
by Chronos Astral
Summary: Naruto sought companionship, affection that he wished to last him a lifetime. Through an otherworldly meeting, and a mystical gift, Naruto was given the chance to obtain love by wandering the Land of Dreams. [Possible Harem]
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**_"The Dreamer_****_"_****_  
_**_by Chronos Astral_

**_Chapter 1_**

* * *

The blond boy stared at the object in utmost scrutiny, sizing it up and down for anything of interest's worth. His brilliant blue eyes scanned the object meticulously, tilting it about in his hands as if looking for an 'on' button. He didn't see what was so interesting about the item. To him, it looked just like an ordinary glass orb like the one the Sandaime Hokage once possessed, except it was only half the size of his palm.

Naruto honestly didn't know what compelled him to accept this 'gift'. Maybe it was the fact that it was wrapped in a neat little bundle that gave him the impression that it was valuable or important. Maybe it was the way the stranger said that it would 'help' him. Though what assistance it would offer, she did not actually explain to him.

The young Jinchuuriki sighed and set the glass trinket on his table before lying on his bed, arms cradling the back of his head to help him think. It was a strange exchange that was for certain. It might have given truth to the phrase 'do not accept things from strangers'. Being a shinobi was no exception to that principle. In fact, it was all the more important, considering a ninja's hazardous lifestyle. You never know if your 'secret admirer's' bouquet of flowers was wrapped in explosive notes, or if the free samples over at the mall were laced with poison after all. This was no joke either, since it's actually happened to a few unfortunate ninja before.

Yet, there was something about that stranger that made Naruto all the more curious of her 'gift' to him...

* * *

The 17-year old jounin slumped as he walked the streets of Konoha, giving off an exhausted and depressed air with each step he took, the shadow of the night reflecting his mood. The majority of the way home was spent that way, hunched over as if the world were weighing down on his shoulders. Though it wasn't like there was any real reason for him to feel that way. After all, he had only recently completed a rather difficult A-rank mission without the need of any comrades to support him. The pay was plentiful and his employers were more than happy with his performance.

It was a daunting task, but easy enough to follow; A wealthy merchant's wife had been kidnapped by a group of low-rank missing-nin, demanding a ransom in exchange for her safe return. His job: Retrieve said merchant's wife, unharmed, from said missing-nin through any means necessary.

He had smirked at the 'any means necessary' part. He liked it when there was no limit to how he was to do his job.

The mission was a success. He subdued all the missing-nin, earning him a good bounty for each one, and returned the girl in one piece into the comforting arms of her spouse, who was eagerly grateful enough to pay him extra for his services.

It didn't take much to see that the two cared deeply for one another. Their bonds were strong, held together firmly by their affection with one another. It made Naruto... jealous, for it reminded him of one of the few things he'd ever wished for.

To be loved like that.

And thus, he trekked the streets of Konoha absent-mindedly, his mind wandering back to the tear-jerking scene of his client reuniting with his spouse. It made him feel empty, in need of that kind of love one day. To hold someone close to him, while that someone held him back. To feel the warmth and touch of another. But would he ever achieve that? Despite the Kyuubi? Somehow, he felt that hope for such affection was lost on him. He was the container of the strongest bijuu in existence after all...

And despite the frog wallet in his pocket stuffed to the brim with ryou bills, he knew that the money could never buy him what he wanted.

Heedlessly, he turned a corner to enter a narrow alleyway, a path he used nearly all the time as a shortcut to his home. Due to his distracted thoughts, he failed to realize that his head was about to collide with a wooden door.

"Ow!" The blond exclaimed in surprise, rubbing his slightly throbbing forehead from the bump he had just received. He looked up to the offending door, studying its fine hardwood carving. Aloud, he said. "Where did this come from?"

He stepped back a few paces to better regard the structure that was connected with the door, It looked more like a small wooden structure covered in an elegant purple cloth to make it appear like it were a tent. It looked rather out-of-place, seeing as it was crammed in an alleyway between two larger buildings.

'This wasn't here before...' He eyed the small structure curiously with a small hint of suspicion. It looked a bit aged, despite him never having seen it before and it smelled odd, like burning incense.

"Come in." A muffled voice called out to him from within, startling the blond a bit. He guessed that the person inside assumed that he was knocking.

Briefly, he entertained the thought. 'Well it's not like I have anything better to do...' With a shrug, he stepped up to the door and turned the handle, letting the creaky hinges swing the door open and entered the passage. Immediately, a blinding light assaulted him from within, leaving him disoriented and temporarily blinded. He instinctively put his forearm up to his face to shield his eyes while having his free hand hover readily over his kunai pouch.

"There will be no need for weapons here." The same voice from before, only this time much clearer, beckoned to him from the light.

Slowly he lowered his forearm, eyes squinting and trying desperately to adjust to the utter radiance. The room was entirely a bright white that looked to be stretching on into infinity. The light wasn't coming from one source, more like it was everywhere. Startled, he looked behind him to find the same brown wooden door he had entered from, looking out-of-place as it stood firm despite the lack of any visible wall to support it. He swiveled his head back to the source of the voice, barely making out the silhouette of what appeared to be a young woman. From what he could see through the blinding glare of the room, the woman had a few traces of red in her hair and dressed in an elegant though foreign looking robe.

The figure approached him calmly and slowly, as if unfazed by the luminous surroundings. Naruto tensed at the movement, his hand moving closer to his kunai pouch.

"Calm down, now. I'm not here to hurt you." She said, in an oddly calming way that seemed to echo pleasantly through her lips. Naruto's tension melted slightly, his muscles relaxing little by little.

Trying to sound respectful yet still on his guard against a potential enemy, he inquired. "Who are you?"

From what he could see, the woman had smiled ever so slightly. "Such a prude young man. Aren't you supposed to introduce yourself first?"

Hesitantly, Naruto replied. "My name is Naruto."

"_Uzumaki_ Naruto, correct?" She let a small grin grace her shadowed face at the boy's somewhat annoyed expression.

His eyes narrowed and his scowl deepened. "What was the point of introducing myself if you already know who I am?"

"Manners. Even as a ninja, it is always important to have manners especially when talking to a lady." She wagged her finger playfully at him as if giving a lecture.

Naruto felt himself getting annoyed. "What's _your_ name then?"

Again, the woman grinned. "It's a secret."

"I thought it was customary to introduce yourself." Naruto deadpanned.

"I know. Didn't mean I went by that rule though." The stranger broke in a giggle fit as the blond boy's head met the nonexistent 'floor' in a facefault. "I'm sorry. I haven't had a good joke at someone else's expense for a while now."

"Well I'm glad to be of entertainment to you, miss." He said sarcastically, picking himself up from the 'floor'. For what appeared to be a near-celestial being, what with the whole bright light and overshadowed face and all, you'd think she'd be a little less... eccentric.

"Ah, yes. I digress. I suppose you're wondering about all this," She gestured the infinite white void around her. "And what I'm here for."

Naruto dropped his forearm to his side, his eyes having adjusted slightly to the light though still squinting a little at the effort. He nodded to her, pulling his hand away from his weapons pouch to show that he trusted her. For now.

The still partly concealed woman put a finger to her lips in thought. "Where to begin...?" She trailed on in her thoughts then said. "Ah, yes. I hear you've been having a few problems, Naruto-chan..."

Naruto twitched at the nickname. "Problems? I don't have any problems." He said dismissively.

"On the contrary. From what I've hear, you're feeling quite lonely." She clarified.

The blond scowled, a little suspicious as to how exactly was she informed of this. "I'm not lonely. I have plenty of friends."

"But you don't have that 'special someone'," The girl stated bluntly, bringing about a wince of hurt in the boy's face. Her eyes softened at that. "We all want that kind of love at some point in our lives, Naruto-chan. There's no shame in that."

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest. "Why would you want to know?"

"Because I'm here to help with that."

Naruto's eyes widened at what she had said, which was a bad idea since his eyes had yet to totally adjust to the light. Taking a moment to soothe his eyes of their momentary blindness and wait for the woman to stop giggling at him, he asked. "You're here to help me get a girlfriend?"

"Not exactly." Naruto deflated a little at that. "But there is a chance that it will help you out with that and more."

"R-really?" All skepticism around the stranger had vanished as he saw that she was really going to help him.

The stranger let out a mysterious smile and put her hand behind her back, retrieving a small bundle wrapped in fine blue and white cloth. She held it out for him to take, which he eagerly did.

"Arigato!" He thanked her earnestly, protectively holding onto the gift. His hand was about ready to dart over to the fabric when the woman interrupted.

"Don't open it yet, not until you get home," There was something cryptic in the way she had said it, but Naruto didn't seem to catch it. "You'll ruin the surprise."

Naruto frowned in dissapointment, but complied nonetheless. "Umm... What is it exactly?"

He was answered by the woman taking hold of his shoulders and briskly turning him about to face the door.

"Make me proud..." She whispered close to his ear, before shoving him into the door that had somehow opened by itself.

A flash of light later, he was back in the alley from whence he came, stumbling into the dark which fiercely contrasted to the blinding illumination from a while ago, which disoriented him for a moment. Naruto whirled his head back to face the woman and impolitely demand what she did that for.

His eyes only met the other end of the shadowy alleyway.

* * *

And thus, here our hero was, lying on the bed in the sanctity of his home, a little upset with the unextravagance of his gift. Another defeated sigh escaped his pouting lips as he surveyed the empty apartment room. There was lonely silence that permeated through the cold night air. The curtains barely fluttered in the wake of the wind. And yet it held testament to the loneliness that gripped him. He was the only one there.

Depressed, the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune and Konoha's Number One Most Surprising Ninja, drooped his eyes in an expression of solemnity and pain, before drifting away into what he hoped was a dreamless sleep. He had nothing against dreams at night, but every time he awoke in the morning, it reminded him of what he didn't have.

As the blond fell into a deep slumber, the glass orb began to glow a subtle blue and white.

* * *

Floating...

Floating?

Is that what was happening right now?

He wasn't sure but...

Naruto slowly lifted his eyelids open, trying to overcome the bleariness of sleep. In all honesty though, he didn't feel tired at all.

He blinked a few times, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He was somewhere not unlike that surreal room he had visited before, except it wasn't as blindingly illuminated and was a slightly darker shade of white. Strangely, he didn't feel any air or wind around here. Hell he could barely_ feel_ anything.He wasn't even aware if he was breathing or not.

He wasn't even _standing_ on anything. From his previous assumption, he was indeed, _actually_ floating. After a few moments of trying to gain some sort of _balance_, he gave up and settled to just let his body hover that way. '_Weird..._'

'_Wait... Where are my clothes!?_' It was at that moment that Naruto realized he was nude, and immediately attempted to cover himself, despite no-one else being there.

So in summary, he was in an unknown infinite void, defying gravity as he drifted in the air, defying the natural human need for oxygen, and completely nude. He surmised a conclusion.

He must be really, _really_, _high_.

'Hmm... Didn't know that being high would be this trippy... This must be some high-grade crap.' As he mulled over the possible quality of whatever hallucinogen he may have inhaled by accident, he failed to notice a figure materializing from behind him.

**_Hail to you, Scion..._** A genderless voice that sounded like it had spoken a thousand tongues at once, greeted Naruto, his native tongue discernable as the loudest amongst all the echoing words.

Naruto pivoted himself to face the source (considering that he was floating in nothingness, it was quite the feat). The figure was cloaked in a robe of white streaked with black runic patterns, its face hidden in the shadow of his hood. The humanoid personage looked corporeal, to the point where he looked nearly translucent. Notably one of the man's/woman's/entity's hands bore no skin or muscle, only a skeletal, animated hand. If that wasn't odd (and borderline creepy) enough for him, the being appeared to be standing _upside-down_ whilst tilting a little to the right.

Once more, the being spoke in a flood of tongues, in a voice comparable only to that of a god.

**_Welcome to the Celestial Plane of Dreams, Scion._**

Naruto blinked. '_Oh yeah. It's official. I'm high alright._' And he mentally vowed never to accept strange gifts from corporeal strangers living in a really bright white plane of nothingness _ever_ again.

* * *

A/N:

This idea just came out of nowhere... Seriously, sometimes I have trouble figuring out how my own mind works. I doubt my sanity.

Leave a review of what you think. I have plans for this one.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

**_"The Dreamer_****_"_****_  
_**_by Chronos Astral_

**_Chapter 2_**

* * *

Naruto continued to stare down at the ethereal being, trying to make out its eyes through the shadow of its cloak. The entity stood unphased and unmoving, still peculiarly positioned in an unnatural angle. It was a little odd trying to stare down a being of obvious paranormal origin, especially when said being was upside-down. It didn't help that the blond was still naked either. 

"Okay... Drug-induced-hallucination-san? What is going on?" He asked, trying to get at least semblance of knowledge of what was happening.

The cloaked being spoke in its multitude of tongues once more. **_'Hallucination'? I believe you are confused, Scion. This is no hallucination..._**

Naruto was doubtful. "Oh really? I suppose the upside-down, creepy, floating, half-skeleton is absolutely certain that this isn't a hallucination, or dream, or even a genjutsu?"

**_Yes... _**Apparently, the entity didn't catch any sarcasm to what he said, or didn't actually care for it.

'_... Alright then. It's time to end this._' Naruto raised a hand, pausing a bit for a reaction from the cloaked creature. It betrayed no expression as Naruto put his hand on his cheek and pinched as hard as he could.

He felt nothing. In fact, his fingers had just phased through his cheek.

'_Alright... an illusion then..._' The young Jinchuuriki formed his hands into a seal and attempted to dispel himself of this bizarre predicament. "_Kai_!"

Nothing happened.

It spoke again in that omnipresent echo.**_ As I've said, Scion, this is no _****_ dream, hallucination, or apparition of any sort._**

Naruto, though still skeptical, played along. "Okay. I'll bite. If this is as _real_ as you say, exactly who or what are you?"

**_I am but a servitor, here to assume the role I was created for by the Greater One. I do not exist, and yet, I live within all, as an overseer to the bridge in between. I have no true title to go by, but if it comforts you, you may call me Lucid._** The being, Lucid, said, giving a small formal bow.

"Okay..." Naruto nodded when in reality, he had no idea what it was talking about. "And why do you keep your face in a hood?"

**_It would be more for your benefit, Scion, for you have neither passed on to the next world nor do you have enough spiritual attunement to completely fathom my true features, let alone have the willpower to withstand it and not immediately scar your sanity until your dying breath. _**Lucid gave out a deformed sort of chuckle, more out of trying to lighten the atmosphere than actual amusement.

"Umm... right..." Now he was really confused. "So... are you a boy or a girl?"

**_I am but a servitor, here to assume the role I was created for by the Greater One._** Lucid repeated like a recorder. **_I have no true gender to speak of. I am but what I am._**

The cryptic answers were giving the blond boy a head-ache. "Then umm... Where are we?"

**_With all respect, Scion, it would take at least a millennia to adequately explain the true nature of this place, which I'm sure is time you do not have to spare. I shall make it brief then. This place... has many names... given by the few who have come to know of it, and the fewer who have lived to speak of it. It's true name is unspeakable by mortal tongue, but it would be roughly similar to the title of 'The Celestial Land of Dreams', as I would call it._**

**_Here is where all mortal spirits traverse as they slumber, escaping the binding reality that is their physical world to mend their spirit. It is here where vassals, or humans as you would call them, experience visions, a reflection of themselves from within. Their haunting memories, darkest desires, greatest fears, and even what may come to be. In essence, this is where you dream each time you go to sleep._**

"Oh, I get it!" Naruto exclaimed, finally finding some sort of understanding to his situation. "So I'm dreaming? But this feels weirder than my other dreams. In fact, I'm pretty sure no one in my dreams would outright tell me that I was dreaming."

**_Scion. You are indeed at slumber, but you are not dreaming._** It clarified.

"Huh?"

**_Dreams are the reflective dive into your own soul, made into a metaphysical realm, and accessed through the crossroads in this plane. _** Lucid gestured around with its one skeletal hand. Naruto grimaced at the appendage. **_You, however, are not in your own dream realm. Rather, you are at the crossroads themselves, a place souls travel through before they dream._**

"So... I'm sleeping... but I'm not dreaming, and I'm not awake either?" Naruto would scratch his head in frustration if his hands wouldn't pass right through it.

**_In a sense. The artifact you carried with you has stopped your spirit from diving into your dream and had you enter the crossroads._**

"Artifact?" The blond thought back to his recent gift, the plain-looking crystal ball that he had laid on his bedside table. "That thing I got from the weird lady!?"

**_Indeed. It is a mystical artifact capable of merging with its master's soul to bind it to the Celestial Plane of Dreams, giving its heritor free will to dream what he wishes or roam the plane itself. It is what marked you, the vassal who is called Uzumaki Naruto, as the 'Scion of Dreams'._**

"'Scion of Dreams'?" Naruto spoke those words in wonder. It was a title of importance, for certain, and it weighed with it a sense of responsibility onto his shoulders, but what did it mean? What did it have to do with him? And how in the hell was this going to help him get a girlfriend?

"Erm... Lucid-san?" Lucid made no response, but Naruto assumed it was listening. "Exactly, what am I supposed to do as this 'Scion'?"

**_You are required nothing, Scion. You are given the freedom to either manipulate your own dreams at will, or wander the crossroads to begin a Nexus Link._**

The last words caught Naruto's interest. "What's a 'Nexus Link'?"

**_A Nexus Link is somewhat similar to what you vassals call a 'Shared Dream', a rarity that occurs at times when two souls that share a bond mingle and merge into one dream realm and both experience it. A Nexus Link, however, is different in the sense that you will establish a similar link to another vassal's dream realm, but you cannot enforce your will in that realm as with a true Shared Dream. You will experience that vassal's dream as an arbiter that cannot be erased and they will dismiss you as just another part of their dream._**

Naruto was about to comment on how cool that sounded, but was cut-off as Lucid continued to speak.

**_Be warned, Scion._** Naruto stiffened at Lucid's cautionary tone.

**_Though they are dreams, they take up a person's inner thoughts and inhibitions. Countless dreams have had the potential to damage the mind, which is why many dreams are forgotten when one is awakened. Nightmares are just as numerous, and amount to fear and instability that could be instilled even in you if you had the misfortune to come by one. And lastly, whatever influences a realm may inflict on you, pain or otherwise, will be felt by you._**

Naruto's eyes widened at that. "I can feel pain in someone else's dream?"

**_You are but an arbiter in their realm, after all. It is only natural that you succumb to the will of its controller. But at the very least, whatever may happen will not relinquish you of your life and you may leave their realm whenever you wish._**

"Okay..." As Naruto absorbed what the hooded overseer explained, there was still one thing nagging at his mind. "That's pretty neat and everything... But how is this going to get me a girlfriend?"

Naruto swore that Lucid had raised an eyebrow. Well that was what he assumed seeing as it still had its 'face' cloaked. **_You seek a companion, Scion?_**

The young jounin gave a lopsided grin and flushed a little. "Well... Yeah. That's pretty much why I'm kinda here, I think."

Lucid remained silent as if in thought. **_You have been given this artifact as a gift, correct?_**

"Yes."

**_And did this person tell you that you could acquire a companion within this plane?_**

"Not exactly. She just told me that it would help without really explaining how. Why? Will it?"

**_Potentially, it can. _**

The blond felt his hopes soar at this. "How!?"

**_If you were to enter the dream realm of the person you are interested in, there is a chance that you will engrave an unconscious influence in her in reaction towards you and how they may feel about you. They will not outright know it, but once they awaken, this influence could take effect._**

"So I have to go into their dreams? That's all?"

**_It is not as simple, and yet still possible. Human emotions are complex, after all. You must only leave a lasting mark which will have their thoughts a little more focused on you. It will not force them to love you, but it will have a bearing deep into their soul._**

"I'm not quite sure I understand..." Naruto complained, trying his best to make sense of what Lucid was saying.

**_Then perhaps it is better for you to experience it yourself._** Lucid drew its skeletal hand once more, extending the index finger, and thrusted it in the air. A blue and white portal emerged from where he drew his finger, swirling in an array of mesmerizing lights.

"What is it?" Said the awed boy.

**_This is the path to the crossroads. Here is where you will travel to another vassal's dream realm and secure a Nexus Link. You cannot willingly choose whom you will link with, but it will be with someone whom you have shared a bond with, whether briefly or otherwise._**

"I think I'm getting it now..."

**_Heed my previous warning, Scion. Proceed with caution and care, for you may not only be hurt, but you may also incidentally harm their mind if you are not mindful of what you may influence in their dreams._**

Naruto nodded his metaphysical head, stealing himself for whatever may come. Admittedly, this was a bit much for just trying to get a girlfriend, but his curiosity of what could be lying ahead had led him on. It wasn't everyday that something of this existential magnitude happened and he'd be damned if didn't see to it all the way through. Sure it could be painful, but he was convinced that he'd had worse.

He took a step forward...

Or at least he tried.

"Wait! How the hell do I get there!? I can't even walk!" He cursed, trying to get himself to move from his floating position, seeing as there was no actual floor to step on. He flailed his limbs and even attempted to flap his wings, put to no avail.

**_Simply will yourself to move forward, Scion. It isn't difficult. _**Somehow, Naruto heard the tiniest hint of amusement from that statement.

Nonetheless, Naruto had made the mental command for his 'body' to move. It worked, though a little too well as he took off like a bullet straight into portal. His screams faded into the swirling mass of energy, leaving Lucid to simply stand there and... do whatever the Overseer of a metaphysical plane does.

* * *

**_Originator's Excursus: (Or "Author's Notes" as you vassals would call it)_**

**_The originator of this documented fiction, Originator Chronos Astral, is not present at the moment, taking his much needed slumber to traverse into the crossroads himself after much effort in completing this stage of his chronicle. I, Lucid, Overseer of The Celestial Plane of Dreams, shall momentarily be representing him in his stead, to address his audience. I hope to be of good service to you._**

**_I will be further clarifying a few aspects of the originator's (or "author's") portrayal of my characteristics and the features of the plane._**

**_As to why I call many humans 'vassals', it is simply because they have access to the network of crossroads that I oversee. It is simply a term I coined for them._**

**_I have given myself the title of 'Lucid', in context to the term 'lucid dreams' wherein a vassal is aware that he is in a state of dreaming and may even willingly control the realm to his liking. You can see the relation it has with my name and purpose._**

**_With regards to my hand, the Originator had only said, and I quote: _**'I dunno. I just thought it would be cool if it didn't have any skin? Or it was a sort of random thing?' **_I personally have no qualms to the nature of any of the 71 limbs that I possess. Temperature-wise or otherwise.  
_**

**_The plane had the Scion and I positioned in a strange angle for there was no true pull of gravity to set us upright. And for the Scion's lacking of and apparel, only the soul is transferred from the physical body, and therefore, begets any physical entity. Clothing is only unconsciously willed by the dreaming vassal, but at times it fails to do so and thus resulting in uncomfortable visions of being undraped in public._**

**_That is all I have to say. Feel free to take a moment of your time to convey your impressions, critiques, and sentiments to this work of fiction._**

**_Know that whatever dreamless languor you may have, it was but I fulfilling my purpose._**

**_May I meet you all again in your slumber, and may you find favor in the Greater One._**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

_**"The Dreamer"  
**__by Chronos Astral_

_**Chapter 3**_

* * *

A swirling mass of blue and white energy formed and expanded within the confines of the realm, and within it, came the approaching symphony of hysterical screaming.

"... aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

**Thud!**

"Ow." Naruto picked himself up on his knees and rubbed his throbbing head, trying to soothe the aching pain. He surmised that since he could feel pain now, he had either woken up or successfully traversed into another person's dream. After a few moments of retaining his bearings, Naruto took his time to survey his surroundings.

Well, for one thing, he wasn't in the Plane, nor was he in his bedroom. The blond found himself in the middle of a vast interior that had the look of some of Konoha's older buildings and sites. The room was made up of traditional tatami mats and shoji screens and decorated with homely plants and ornaments of time-honored nature, like fans, masks, and displayed weapons of old. From what Naruto could tell it was but part of a large complex, though no one but himself was there.

_**The Link is successful, Scion.**_

"Gah!" Startled, Naruto jumped a few feet into the air and landed on his behind. "Lucid!? Where are you!? Don't startle me like that!"

Again, Lucid's voice spoke in its many tongues, though this time not as loudly and resounding only within the boy's mind. _**I apologize for affrighting you, Scion. I have neglected to tell you that I may communicate with you through each Link, and you the same to me. I cannot present myself within the realm, but I can act as your guide for what may lie ahead.**_

After letting this information sink in, Naruto made a nod to himself and stood from his position. "Okay, then. So... Where am I?"

_**Currently, you are residing in a realm of fantasy, built upon the desires or wishes of the controller of this realm. This place is a representation of said desires, symbolic or otherwise.**_

"I see. And what am I supposed to do now?"

_**Inspect you're apparel.**_

Naruto looked down at his form, a little surprised to find himself garbed in a traditional hakama and gi set. Further to his feet were a pair of tabi socks and zori sandals. "Woah. When'd I get this stuff?" He asked, fiddling with one sleeve.

_**You are playing a certain role in this vassal's dream. You may or may not be made consciously aware of it, depending on said vassal's will. As an arbiter, you can only succumb to the events of the dream, but at the same time, you may enforce a bit of your own will as well.**_

"I'm not sure I-" Naruto was cut off with a sliding door suddenly appearing on the wall. It opened to the side, revealing a long-haired, pale-eyed figure, dressed similarly to him.

"Neji!?" Naruto exclaimed in surprise, but the familiar stoic Hyuuga didn't seem to pay him any mind and walked regally towards him.

Neji stopped in front of Naruto, eying him up and down for a moment before speaking. "Hmph. Another foolish would-be warrior seeking glory?" He said, clearly unimpressed with him.

Naruto growled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you, like many before you, are foolish to think that you actually stand a chance at winning. I don't know why we even bother letting you people try." The dream-form of the Hyuuga crossed his arms in an act of condescendence, reverting to his infamous holier-than-thou persona.

Obviously, this would serve to irk the blond, as he'd always hated people who downplayed his strength. "Oh yeah!?" Naruto raised his fists. "Wanna bet on that right now!?"

Neji merely scoffed irritably. "Hmph. Even if you beat me, you still wouldn't last a mere five minutes with the master."

Naruto was about to make a fiery retort, before the mention of 'the master' interested him. "Wait... What master?"

"What's happening out there?" Another voice queried from the door that Neji had entered from.

Once again, said door slid open, revealing another figure in the same robes, calmly approaching them with regal poise. A man of apparent exceptional upbringing to the casual observer. At least until they take notice of his shiny bowl-cut hair and ruler-thick eyebrows.

"Neji." The newcomer addressed with a composed tone. "Is this another challenger?"

"Yes." The Hyuuga nodded in affirmative. "Another cocky one as well. I'd give him a minute before we need to mop his face off the mats and wall."

"We give equal chances to everyone willing. Remember that, Neji."

"Of course, Lee."

At that point, Naruto's mental activities screeched to a halt. This... _person_ in front of him, one that had the most ungodly resemblance to Rock Lee, was _the actual Rock Lee_!?

A vision of Hell in polar climate and TonTon having gained the ability of flight briefly appeared within his mind.

This 'man' could not possibly be '**Lee**' of all people! He had to be the complete opposite of Lee! There was no green spandex! No avid and exaggerated exclamations of youth! And was he **wearing glasses**!?

'Lee' adjusted said spectacles on his face to better regard the gaping form of Naruto. "Well he's certainly the strange-looking one."

"'**STRANGE**'!? '**I'M**' STRANGE!? WHAT ABOUT **YOU**!? NO YOUTH!? NO SUNSET!? NO WEIRD AND INCONCEIVABLE SELF-PUNISHMENT!? WHO THE HELL ARE YOU, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH LEE, AND WHAT THE HELL DID YOU TAPE OVER YOUR EYES THAT LOOK JUST LIKE HIS EYEBROWS!!?" Naruto exploded in disbelief, as if the very nature of this 'dream Lee' was a heresy of life itself. While the bowl-cut boy usually was respectful, it was not in this sense. Not in a million lifetimes.

Lee blinked at the blond's puzzling reaction. "... Excuse me?"

"DON'T DO THAT!" Naruto screamed at him again.

"Do what?"

"THAT!"

Lee took a precautionary step back. "What do you mean?"

"THAT! THAT THING WHERE YOU'RE NOT REALLY LOUD!!" Naruto exaggeratedly thrust a finger at him, as if accusing him of a heinous crime.

"I can only honestly say that the only loud one here is you, sir." The very un-Lee-like Lee calmly stated, still a little taken aback by the blond's tirade.

In contrast, Naruto had started sputtering incomprehensible things in an uncontrollable volume. Decidedly, Neji had enough. "Enough! Save your deluded rambling for a later date. The master cannot be kept waiting."

"I agree." Lee nodded, cleaning his glasses of the spittle that was sprayed from Naruto's outburst. "We must proceed to the master at once." After placing his glasses upon his face once more, Rock Lee held the still mumbling Naruto by the arm and dragged him into the next room with Neji following suite.

_**Scion...**_ Lucid spoke to the disheveled Naruto, alerting no one but him. _**Recall that this is only a dream and that it will not always coincide with reality. There is no reason for alarm.**_

"B-but this is 'Rock Lee'. _The_ Rock Lee. Not in anyone's, even his own dreams can Rock Lee not be loud and not wearing green spandex." Naruto whimpered to himself, still being dragged like a ragdoll across the vast halls.

Lee caught wind of a few of his words and gave an amused huff. "'Green spandex'? I wouldn't be caught dead wearing 'green', much less 'spandex'." He chuckled lightly to himself in an even more un-Lee-like way, not knowing that Naruto had just sunken even further into the incredulity of it all.

'_Only a dream. Only a dream. Only a dream. Only a dream..._' He stubbornly repeated in his mind.

* * *

After what felt like an hour of being dragged and reassuring himself that the whole thing was a dream (albeit one that was so far eerily strange), Naruto resigned himself to the will of whoever was dreaming of the whole thing. Speaking of which, "Who is this 'master', anyway?"

"We do not speak freely of the master." Neji said briskly.

"Indeed. The master is far too great to be spoken of by us mere servants." Lee added with a tinge of reverence.

Naruto voiced his own opinion. "So this master guy is really strong?"

"That, would be a very grave understatement."

The three then ascended a flight of unnecessarily wide stairs (at this point, Naruto would walk instead of being dragged) and navigated through a vast array of gratuitously excessive defense systems consisting of, but not limited to, mine fields, laser grids, bottomless pits of doom, mounted turrets of both immolating and freezing variety, 20 foot robot sentries, banana peels, your standard large burly bald man with a bat - the whole nine yards (and maybe a few thousand more).

It would seem 'gratuitously excessive' was also a grave understatement here.

And so, after nearly tripping on one such mine, having part of his hair cut clean off by lasers, almost falling into said pit (with much hysterical screaming), getting his rear burned _and_ frozen _at the same time_, narrowly escaping being stepped on by 60 tons of steel and electronic wiring, slipping more than just a dozen times, coupled with just as many curses and promises of death, on the infernal yellow peelings that he had learned to loathe, and nearly having said bald man deck him for making an off-comment on the sheen of his scalp, Naruto was seething _and_ impatient, flaring with an aura that would have made even the Kyuubi flinch. Though, the two males of Team Gai took no notice.

"ARE WE FKING THERE YET!?"

"You're amazing resilience still cannot compare to the overwhelming volume of your screeching, it would seem." Neji commented in an irritated tone. "We told you to stay close to us as to avoid getting hurt. Consider yourself lucky that you're even alive at all."

"To be honest, though, even your uncanny ability to avoid certain death, you cannot come close to defeating the master that way." Lee chided respectfully.

Naruto grumbled at the repeated mention of this 'master'. He had long concluded that this 'master' was most probably the one who was dreaming of all this, and he certainly had a large and rather unsated ego to be imagining himself to be some almighty overlord of horribly deformed versions of Green Beasts of Konoha and master of a home equipped with an ungodly array of totally unnecessary traps. In any case, whoever he was, Naruto was going to give him a piece of his mind.

"We have arrived." Neji bade as they approached a door. An impossibly massive door made of what looked like titanium.

After adding that to the list of 'severely messed up things' he'd found in this realm so far, Naruto entered through an alternate route in the form of a simple wooden door found adjacent to its more extravagant metallic counterpart (As if the place wasn't screwed up enough for his tastes).

"Who goes there?" A commanding and yet surprisingly familiar voice beckoned to them from within the vast room. A shadow of a figure loomed over Naruto, falling closer and closer to him in an aggressive pounce. Reflexively, the blond rolled out of the way, and right on time as the perpetrator landed on the wooden floor he had been standing on with a fierce crash, destroying the very floorboards and kicking up dust in its wake.

On impulse, Naruto's hand darted for his right leg, but cursed inwardly having realized he had no kunai pouch there, and thus, no kunai.

"Impressive reflexes, boya. Not a lot of guys see that attack coming." The voice spoke again, discernibly female and mildly impressed. The smog cleared, revealing to all a rather well-endowed blonde woman, dressed in the same manner as both Neji and Lee, albeit her gi was made a few sizes bigger to properly fit her assets. A notable feature of hers would the purple diamond seal embedded on her forehead.

"Tsunade-baa-chan?"

**SMACK! BAM!**

A blond rocket was sent hurdling into the wall at mach speeds, courtesy of Tsunade. "Who're you callin' _old_!?" She hollered in unsuppressed outrage, veins bulging whilst shaking her fists. "29 years old is a tender age! I'm not old yet!"

"'29'?" Naruto said skeptically, after arising from the impact. "But, Tsunade-baa-chan, you're at least 60-urk!"

**SMACK! BAM!**

And again, a second blond projectile is launched.

"I most certainly am not!" The buxom woman stomped in defiance, rocking the very foundations with her immense strength.

Neji marched angrily over to Naruto's limp form and strung him up by the collar. "How _dare_ you speak of m'lady that way! Apologize this instant!"

"M'lady, forgive him," Lee bowed respectfully to the woman. "From what I've seen of him, he has... erm... an unstable frame of mind."

"Wait, wait!" Naruto removed himself from the Hyuuga's grip, to stand before the irritated woman. "So you're this 'master' everyone keeps talking about, Tsunade-ba- I mean Tsunade-san?"

Tsunade stared wide-eyed at him, abandoning her previously irate expression. She looked to Lee, who wore a similar expression and looking back at her. Then to Neji who did the same. Then back to Naruto.

The three exploded in gut-wrenching laughter.

Naruto was left dumbfounded.

"Pfffhahaha! The 'master' he says! Ahahaha! As if I were even strong enough to compare!" Tsunade guffawed, holding her stomach to soothe the pain of her convulsing laughter. Neji and Lee were near tears, banging and clawing at the ground as they too were unable to stop themselves from outright howling their mirth.

After a few minutes of leaving them that way, they were finally reduced to just snickering.

"By Kami, boya, you've got a strange sense of humor," The woman said as she regained her bearings, wiping away the accumulated tears in her eyes.

"So... You're _not_ the master?" He asked.

"'Course not! I'm just the secretary and guardian." She said with a huff of pride.

"Th-then... Who is?"

* * *

Adding the ridiculously large elevator that was ascending several thousands of feet into a massive floating fortress to the 'severely messed up things' list, Naruto waited as patiently as he could during the ascent. His three escorts were busy checking themselves as if to appear presentable to this 'master', straightening their sleeves, combing their hair, and whatnot.

The resounding ping of the elevator's final destination signaled the end of its ascent, and opened its twin steel doors to exhibit the palace-like interior of the fortress.

'_This master sure is full of himself..._' Naruto thought as his eyes gandered at the sheer over-extravagance of the entire complex. The floor was tiled in the cleanest marble flooring and fitted with smooth red rugs. Various furniture items lay arranged, blending nicely with the decor, and a good view from a thousand foot vantage point could be seen through the windows.

Through another set of massive doors was a chamber room going into a slope upwards accessible through a wide set of stairs. A lush red carpet led to the top of these stairs, where what appeared to be a large throne sat and the obscure visage of a person sat.

Immediately Naruto's three escorts were on their knees in prostrate as a show of complete veneration. Not one to be the odd man out, Naruto followed suite in their actions.

"Master!" Tsunade called with a slight bow of her head. "We deeply apologize for the disturbance, but another seeks to challenge your might in a test of strength through unrestricted combat. If your benevolence would permit it?"

"Let it be so!" A feminine voice responded back.

The figure rose from its seat on the the throne and regally approached the four. As she drew closer, her features grew more discernable. With the elegant light blue robe fashioned onto her shoulders, the decorated black gi and blue hakama that hugged her shapely frame, and the graceful brown locks that flowed loosely onto her shoulder, the young woman no older than twenty years of age was the epitome of royal beauty.

Naruto blinked once, sensing an odd familiarity with the woman. He squinted, trying to make it out.

"So this is the challenger?" The woman said in a tone of curiosity, circling Naruto briefly to size him up. "Not as strong looking as the one's I usually receive, but I suppose I should give him credit to be so brave as to challenge me."

"_Ano_... What is you're name, 'Master'-san?" Naruto asked but was roughly planted on the floor, face-first, courtesy of both Neji and Tsunade.

"You were given no permission to speak to the master!" Neji barked.

"Let him be." The woman commanded, and the two obeyed, separating themselves from the blond boy, but still glared spitefully at him. "I'm surprised you don't know me, considering my reputation. Let me properly introduce myself then..."

She stood tall, all lights shutting off except a lone spotlight aimed right at her, and her servants playing dramatic theme music from behind. "I am known as the world-renowned 'Mistress of Weapons' and the 'Queen of the Forge'. Undefeated champion of all Elemental countries. I am Ten-Ten of the Thousand Blades and should you lose your challenge, you will pledge eternal servitude to me!"

* * *

A/N

Cut a little short at the end. May edit later.


End file.
